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Two bodies removed from duplex that caught fire in Stephenville, N.L.

STEPHENVILLE, N.L. — The bodies of two people were recovered from a duplex that caught fire in western Newfoundland early Friday.

Stephenville fire Chief Wayne Reilly said they found part of the single-storey building on St. Georges Avenue fully engulfed when they arrived around 3:10 a.m.

His crews doused the small unit and found two people inside, but Reilly offered no details about the pair since next of kin had not been notified. There were reports that the dead were an elderly couple.

"One side of the duplex was heavily involved in fire and there were two fatalities," he said.

A resident of the other half of the duplex managed to get out. Reilly said that portion of the building was not on fire.

Investigators will be going through the heavily damaged home to determine a cause, he said.

"The structure is still standing, but there was a fair bit of damage to the interior," Reilly said.

Police said in a statement that the fire did not appear to be suspicious.